RSS Press releases

Research shows that 250k motorhomes were in use in the UK in 2020 and 15k were registered in last year (Sep 20 – Aug 21) which is a 36% increase in new registrations year on year.  There has been a staycation boom and there is anecdotal feedback that the weekly rental market is growing. Our Council is doing all that it can to tap into this valuable economic source.

Our Council ran a successful Visitor Management campaign last year to attract tourists back to our region following COVID restrictions and to promote ‘staycations’ in line with Government advice. We are keen to continue to make visitors stay as simple as possible, Members of Economy and Resources Committee (15 February) will receive a report which includes plans to attract more motor home visitors.

At present, the motorhome offering locally is confused with no clear communication about where motorhomes can park overnight.  As part of our campaign last year, we produced ‘Park the day not the night’ signs for traditional motorhome parking spots, known as “Aires”. These are small scale overnight parking facilities for motorhomes, with basic amenities. We found that there is some parking outside of allowed areas, particularly in the west, and good provision of campsites in D&G, but very little motorhome specific provision and quickly realised that this was an untapped opportunity.

In 2021, in response to COVID and to support staycations, the government relaxed planning restrictions so that Aires could be provided without planning permission. This opportunity was publicised, and our Council provided signage and guidance free of charge for those interested.

As a pilot, Kirkcudbright swimming pool was granted £1k to to put in 3 spaces, electrical points, and black and grey waste disposal. The site launched in September, and they had 121 overnight stays at £10 a night, plus 31 waste disposals at £4, giving an income of £1,334 and a potential income of £5-6k per annum. Their comment on the experience was “The site runs itself with little need to do anything, the extra income will offset the massive rise in our energy costs and help us to maintain our community swimming pool. We would highly recommend this type of installation to others”.

To encourage further provision of similar facilities and promote and attract more touring visitors to the region, it is proposed to E&R Committee that a grant of up to £5k per site is offered to private and community organisations that want to set up an Aire. The grant will be dependent on the organisation gaining Certified Status from organisations such as Motorhome Fun, so no planning permission is required. Certified sites can park up to 5 motorhomes. We will provide guidance about launching an Aire and this campaign will be a key part of this year’s Visitor Management programme. The grant would be paid retrospectively for approved items.

Chair of E&R Committee, Rob Davidson said: “This is an excellent proposal, and one that proved very popular in our initial trial last year. Tourism is one of our most important economic sectors in our beautiful rural region. The target would be 15 new Aires with an average of 4 bays each creating nearly 22k spaces over a year. Based on Visit Scotland touring figures we would expect an occupancy rate of 41% giving an income to the Aires owners of around £90K. The average tourist to Scotland spends £28 per day in the local economy making a potential extra income into the region of over £500k.”

Vice Chair, Archie Dryburgh said: “Providing Committee agree to the funding, this is a great opportunity for our local small businesses or land owners to make some extra income, and we will help to make this vision a reality, as much as we can. The grant would pay for signage, site markings, site improvements, web design, black and grey water disposal, and lighting, although any lighting or power options would have to be sustainable as part of our commitment to net zero.”